Hay Field Whirlwind

I was raking hay this afternoon when I saw a whirlwind going through the field. I have tried to photograph or video tape them before and never been able to get one. This one was one of the widest I've seen and lasted a very long time. It eventually went on to the left and out of sight.

The good news was that it only bothered the hay I had yet to rake!

Hot, Dry Weather On the Farm

Many people notice heat and lack of rain by how green or brown the grass is in their yard, but this has a more dramatic affect on dairy farms. When it is hot cows can slow down in milk production which directly influences the farmer's income. To help offset the heat we make sure our animals have access to shade and plenty of fresh water.

Hot, dry weather also can put a strain on crops. We have some mid summer crops we'd love to plant, but until there is rain we can't put the seed in the ground. Likewise with our corn, when there is little moisture the plants will twist in the heat while patiently waiting for the rain. The dry weather has been good for putting up hay as it can be quickly mowed and baled, however 2cd and 3rd cuttings will not come if there's no rain.

One of our local television stations and my extension agent came to my farm this week to highlight how the weather is affecting farmers.

The Cody James Boots Giveaway Winner Is....

Okay, I'm ready to announce the winner of my Cody James boots giveway contest. First, I'd like to thank the Boot Barn for asking me to review a pair and for sponsoring the contest. I really enjoy wearing mine and I think anyone that owns a pair will tell you the same.

And now for the part you've all been waiting for. The winner, selected by a random number generator, is 

xxxxxxxxxxxx ! 

I'll be contacting you soon to let you know how to receive your new boots!

Thanks to everyone that entered. If you'd like another opportunity to win a pair of these fine boots then check out Mr. Ryan Goodman's review of his Cody James boots and contest at Agriculture Proud. But if you can't wait then head on over to the Boot Barn and order a pair today.


Update!


The original winner has unfortunately declined. After a new randomly generated drawing I am happy to announce that StateCougFan is the new winner! Congrats!

My Cody James Boots Review and Giveaway

I was pretty excited when the nice folks over at the Boot Barn offered to send me a free pair of their new Cody James line of boots if I would review them and even more excited when they also said I could also give away a pair to one lucky reader in a June Dairy Month contest. I went to the website and eventually decided on the Distressed style of the Cody James boots.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was that the boots were exactly like those shown on the website. The stitching looked beautiful and the distressed look was just what I wanted. I tried them on and my next impression was how sturdy and supportive they were. This might be due to the genuine steel shanks and the Goodyear welt. For comparisons sake, I pulled one off and put one of my old boots back on. The wife and kids sure gave me funny looks as I walked around the house with two different boots on. There was a big difference between the two.

After wearing them for a while I can say the Cody James boots are much more form fitting and supportive around the ankle than boots that I have worn in the past. I really like the way my foot slides into place when I put them on. They are very comfortable to wear.


I have also been impressed with the quality of the workmanship and materials. The leather just feels thick and strong, like it will last a long time. I'm rough on boots and shoes in general. I've been wearing these every chance I get to see if they tear up or scuff easily. I've worn them to just about any place I've wanted to and they still look great with jeans or dress pants. I definitely enjoy wearing them.

Now, how would you like to win your own pair of Cody James boots from the Boot Barn and help me celebrate June Dairy Month?

I love ice cream. I know you love ice cream, too. To enter the contest leave a comment below telling me what your favorite flavor of ice cream is. It couldn't be any easier, right? I'll select one random comment to be the winner next Wed (June 27th).

A few rules:
Remember you can only enter once!
You have to be 18 or over.
Boot Barn ships to anywhere in the US and Canada (sorry no PO Boxes)

The fine folks at the Boot Barn have also told me that these boots are very popular and literally everybody (including the cows on my farm!) want a pair. For that reason if the winner's first choice of style/size is not available immediately they will have to wait until more stock becomes available or they can choose a different style.


So leave a comment with your favorite ice cream flavor and you might win your own pair, but if you can't wait, by all means head on over to the Boot Barn and order some now.

Curious George the Cat and The Man in the Farm Hat

 This is George. He was a good little cat and always very curious.

George the cat

Today George decided to go exploring. George loved to go exploring. He saw a silage wagon and climbed inside to look around.  George was having fun walking on the soft silage until he heard the man in the farm hat start the tractor to unload the silage. Poor George was scared and wanted to find a way out, but he could not remember how he got into the wagon. 

Luckily for George, the man in the farm hat saw the little cat and turned off the tractor. He went to the front of the wagon and called for George. The curious cat was glad to hear the man in the farm hat's voice and quickly came to him.

George climbed into the man in the farm hat's hands and jumped onto the ground. He was glad to be where it was safe. The man in the farm hat was glad George was safe as well and hoped the curious cat would stay out of trouble for at least a little while.

Dairy Farmers (Can) Count

While milk and dairy products are important for June Dairy Month, it may also be a time to shed a little light on how dairy farmers count.  SUDIA and Dairy Farming Today are a great source of dairy farmer facts. For instance 98% of the over 51,000 U.S. dairy farms are owned by families or individuals. One dollar of milk sold from a farmer creates $3 in economic activity. In Tennessee the dairy industry had 500 million dollars worth of economic activity in 2011 and it is the top agriculture industry in eleven other states. Nationwide there are 900,000 jobs supported by farmers milking cows.

Counting Cows

So do dairy farmers count? While I might be a little biased, I think they do. The next question is can dairy farmers count? I'll let you judge for yourself by this book I made called Counting Cows. It is a simple picture counting book you can read right here or even download a free copy to put on your computer, phone, tablet, etc and share the gift of reading with a young person in your life. Be sure and leave a comment if you like it and I hope you remember the farmers during June Dairy Month.

Counting Cows

Major Tom Should've Packed Cheese

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I heard David Bowie's Space Oddity the other day and couldn't help but feel sorry for poor old Major Tom.

The line I was thinking about in particular was:

"Take your protein pills and put your helmet on"

Protein pill? That protein pill was probably huge and terribly hard to swallow for Major Tom. And the worst part would be he'd half to drink Tang to try and swallow it and Tang just tastes awful. There has to be a better way.

Maybe if Bowie had written it as"

"Scramble some eggs and put your cheddar on"

I came across an interesting dairy fact today. It turns out that one ounce of cheese has more protein than one egg; seven or eight grams for cheddar cheese versus six grams in an egg. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on eggs here. I'll take my eggs scrambled with cheese, please.

Cheesy Egg Scrambler (Photo from Nat'l Dairy Council)

I think Major Tom would have been a lot happier if he could have eaten a protein packed Cheesy Egg Scrambler. Cheese and eggs sound so much better than a pill to me.

The recipe for this tasty looking dish is one of the many recipes you can find at The National Dairy Council to celebrate June Dairy Month.


Here's Bowie singing the song (his way!).

Happy June Dairy Month!

Last night I picked up my daughter from dance practice and when she asked for something to drink I handed her the chocolate milk I had picked up for her on the way. "Does this come from magic brown cows?" she asked jokingly. "No," I replied, "this is regular milk from regular cows."

But maybe saying it is regular milk is wrong. Maybe I should say it is extraordinary milk from extraordinary cows. Milk is packed with nine essential vitamins and minerals which makes it a great nutrient rich food. With all the wonderful dairy products that start with it there's no way to describe it as ordinary.

The cows and I wish you a Happy June Dairy Month!

Be sure to celebrate with milk, cheese, ice cream,

and all your other favorite dairy products!